In which I give a quick review of the ELF Contour Palette, and also compare the shades to the colours found in the Light/Medium version of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. I definitely think that this palette makes for a good semi-dupe of that palette, and I don't think most people would be unhappy with the ELF palette!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
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In which I review the Unicorns Unite palette from Makeup Revolution. Makeup Revolution will soon be launching in London Drugs stores in Canada, so I was lucky enough to get this (and a couple more) Makeup Revolution palettes from the #LDBeauty event last month, so I wanted to review them for you and share my thoughts on whether these are worth trying when they do pop up in your local London Drugs. Or if you aren't in Canada, maybe you already have access to these palettes at Ulta, online, Superdrug, etc. =)
All the eyeshadow swatches are below the embedded video!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
In the following swatches, I tried to pick up about the same amount of product and use approximately the same effort into each swipe... I used no primer and didn't try to build up the colour's opacity, because I wanted to show what a normal swatch of each colour looks like. Hope these help! =)
The palette:
Row 1:
Row 2:
Row 3 (the mattes):
As you can see, the pigmentation isn't bad, but isn't great. Some colours are certainly better and easier to work with than others, and two of the matte shades are very translucent and invisible on my skin! Some of the more metallic shades, and the darker mattes can be a bit powdery and fall out-y, but this is still a pretty good palette for those on a budget... Those colours are just so pretty!
Thanks for watching & reading!
Hey guys, today's tutorial is kinda fun, or at least I think so. I'm a bit of a Harry Potter nerd, so when I was looking at the colours in the Unicorns Unite palette, I felt like the copper/bronze and blue colours were perfect for a Ravenclaw look. I'm not sure it came out exactly how I wanted it to, but I it's still pretty. Hope you like it!
Let me know if you'd like to see other Hogwarts house makeup looks, or other themed looks!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
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Mini IMATS haul included!
Hi guys, here's a short vlog of my day with Brit at Vancouver IMATS as well as the NYX event held at a bar downtown. Thought it would be fun to bring you along on this eventful day, and also show you what I bought at IMATS.
As I said in the video, I'll go over what they gave us at the event in another video, so look forward to my upcoming fashion & NYX haul video for that!!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
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I'm not sure if I've talked about Batiste dry shampoo on my blog before or not, but I have used it a few times. I'm sure its a brand that many people are already familiar with, and it is particularly popular at least in the blogging and YouTube beauty communities, it seems. And with good reason!
This bottle of Batiste was sent to me to review, but I have also purchased other scents before myself, and my review is completely honest and my own!
Also, at the bottom of the post, I've listed 5 of my dry shampoo tips for newbies, or anyone who might not be a big dry shampoo fan. I know I've had a hard time finding the right dry shampoo and figuring out how to use it properly, so hopefully I can help someone else out so you don't have to do the same trial and error thing I did!
While I don't have a whole hell of a lot to say about this dry shampoo, I do think it is the best one I have ever used! Compared to various other dry shampoos, I find that Batiste smells amazing (and comes in a few different scents!), leaves the least residue in my hair (it actually feels really weightless, not grainy or heavy), and works the fastest with the least amount of product, so you actually get more uses out of every bottle!
I've also never had a bottle of Batiste run out of aerosol before it also ran out of product, possibly because of it's super fine texture? So in my experience, I've wasted far less Batiste than any other dry shampoo, which I always seem to have to throw out before I can use it up!
The two scents I've tried out are this one, the original, which smells very fresh and clean, and maybe a little bit lemony? A bit like dish soap or dryer sheets... but I mean that in the best way possible, because I really love the scent and will likely buy myself a bottle when this one is empty!
I've also tried the tropical scent, which is also nice, but very summery. It's an odd one to use in the colder months, because it smells like coconutty sunscreen, which I know tons of people would love (and it is nice), but definitely wasn't a favourite of mine. I really want to try out the leopard print bottle, which I think people have described as having a chocolate-y scent!
Finally, as promised in the title, I wanted to give you a few pointers if you are new to dry shampoo, or just can't figure out how to make it work. So here are some of the things I've had to learn through trial and error so maybe you won't have to!:
Those are all the tips I can think of right now, but leave any more you might have down in the comments, as well as your favourite dry shampoo! Or your favourite Batiste scent!
Thanks for reading!
Hey guys, today's video is just a quick one to tell you my thoughts on the new(ish) Revlon Ultimate All-In-One waterproof mascara.
Let me know if you had a similar experience, and also what your favourite waterproof mascara is, because I'm going to be in the market for one soon!!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
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Hey guys! In today's video I'm sharing with you the makeup I did for David's birthday party just over a week ago, which is also coincidentally Canada Day, so I've added red lips for some subtle Canadian pride =P I really love how this look turned out, so I hope you guys like it too! I used a ton of drugstore products in this one, as well, so it's really affordable compared to some of my more high-end focussed looks!
Let me know if you like the voiceover format more than just watching me do my makeup at high speed, or having me talking while I do my makeup. It's the most work to put together, since it's almost like I'm recording and editing twice for one video, but if you like it most, I'm totally willing to do more like this!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
Thanks for watching!
You may be looking at this post asking yourself "Why would this mainly beauty blogger be reviewing some random toothpaste?" And that's a good question. To be honest, I don't really remember signing up for this campaign, but I don't want to make anyone mad by backing out... so here's my review.
As you can imagine, this was sent to me for review, but as always, that does not bias my opinions of the product in any way, and this review is completely honest.
Maybe I've used a lot of different toothpastes over the years, but all the claims always sound pretty much the same to me. This Arm & Hammer toothpaste promises deep cleaning and lasting freshness and claims to contain "4 Cleaning & Whitening Agents, 3 Breath Freshening Agents, [and] 1 Unique Enamel Strengthening Agent." But it doesn't label itself as a whitening toothpaste, or a toothpaste for sensitive teeth, so maybe it doesn't expect to be especially good at either of those things? Obviously, the biggest claim, and the way this toothpaste sells itself the most is with the "Clean & Fresh" title... am who doesn't want to have a clean mouth and fresh breath?
Overall, while I didn't notice any shocking whitening or strengthening of my own teeth (thankfully, I don't have very sensitive teeth!), this toothpaste did do pretty much everything I want a toothpaste to do. I hate gel toothpastes, and this one is a white paste, which is my favourite, so one point there. It also smells and tastes great, definitely a fresh, minty flavour, but not too overpowering, and it doesn't taste particularly chemically either, which is another perk.
The only thing that really stands out about this toothpaste to me is the texture. It is a pretty standard white paste format, like lots of other toothpastes (including my usual Colgate toothpaste), but it does seem to have a very slight grainy-ness to it. Not in the same way as Crest toothpaste (which I hate with a fiery passion, but let's not go there), which feels like it's full of sugar crystals. I think what I'm feeling is the soft powdery baking soda, which is obviously an ingredient in an Arm & Hammer toothpaste! But these particles don't feel bad or scratchy, instead they feel like they're delicately super cleaning my mouth and teeth... like a gentle tooth exfoliator! I actually quite like it.
Overall, I do still think writing a whole review of this toothpaste was a bit odd, but I also know that after now testing out this toothpaste, I do quite like it! Although I had never reached for or tried out an Arm & Hammer toothpaste before, after trying this, I do think I would purchase this product again on my own. It does a good job, doesn't make claims it can't live up to, and tastes good!
Have you tried this toothpaste? What's your favourite? Let me know in the comments down below!
Thanks for reading!
Hey guys! Today's video is a quick review of the new(ish) ELF Mad for Mattes eyeshadow palette that I received from the #LDBeauty event last month! As always, my opinions here are completely honest and unbiased. I really do love this palette!
This palette is not yet available at London Drugs, at least online, but it is online on ELF's website for $10 USD.
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
Pictures:
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Hi guys! In today's video I am playing with a ton of new products I was given at the #LDBeauty event a couple of weeks ago, and I create a smokey, colourful makeup look!
All the products used will be down below, as well as a link to my LDBeauty event haul, so let me know if there is anything I used here or mentioned in my haul that you want to see in a look or a review, and I will work on getting that out for you!
Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:
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Hello again! Today I have a review for you of a few really nice products from BVSpa! These products were sent to me for review, but this post isn't sponsored and all my opinions are completely honest. And I'm so glad I got the chance to test these out because I am really liking them a lot!
So I was sent one each of their Sugar Body Scrub and Salt Body Scrub, as well as each two of their body moisturizers: one Body Butter and one Body Lotion. Between the four products, I'm also had a chance to test out all three of the scents they offer... and they're all fantastic!
The BV Spa line is meant to be the at-home line of spa-quality products from Bon Vital, which is used by some massage therapists. The line is now available at Shoppers Drug Mart here in Canada for $11.99 each, which I'm pretty sure applies to both the scrubs and the lotions. All the products are full of good ingredients, and free of any parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, as well, so no worries there!
The Scrubs
As I said, I received two scrubs from BV Spa, one sugar scrub in the Pomegranate & Acai scent, and one salt scrub in the Lavender & Rosemary. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the texture of the scrubs, because I think most of the scrubs I have used have used things like seeds and sand(?) as the exfoliators, stuff that doesn't dissolve in water, which can frequently be quite harsh if you aren't careful.
The description of the products I received from their PR was that the salt is harsher, better for one-a-week use, and good at removing dry skin from tough places like elbows and knees, while the sugar is gentle enough for daily use and on more delicate skin, including your neck and chest (which has skin about as delicate as your face). Both scrubs also contain Jojoba, Olive, and Safflower oils to help moisturize while you scrub away dead skin.
After using both scrubs a couple times, I really like them both! I'm not sure I can notice a difference between the two in terms of the harshness of the salt versus the sugar, and I find that both dissolve in the hot water in the shower quite quickly, which is great because you aren't left with pieces of tiny scrubby bits after you get out, which I seem to get from pretty much every other type of scrub... I have used the salt scrub on my chest, and while the sugar is a slightly finer texture, I don't think there is a drastic difference. I wouldn't say that either of these is a harsh product, and I have pretty delicate skin.
Also, the hydration from the oils helps to replenish your skin before it can ever feel dried out or sad from the scrub. But I also find there is no oily residue, so you're left feeling clean, refreshed, soft, moisturized, and smelling fantastic!
And again, as I said above, these smell amazing! The pomegranate & acai is really fruity and summery, and reminds me of a Bath & Body Works scent, but more real, if that makes sense! The Lavender & rosemary I was really excited to try out, and it did not disappoint! I love herbal scents, and mixed with the lavender, the rosemary smells fantastic. But you don't smell like food, just fresh and clean and a tiny bit essential oil-ish, which I love! Also, the rosemary helps to tone down the lavender scent, which on its own can be way too overpowering for me. Both are great options. The grapefruit would probably also smell fantastic, since I'm sure it smells just like the lotion, which I'll talk more about in a bit.
The Moisturizers
Just like the scrubs, I received one each of the lotion and body butter in different scents: the Body Butter in Pomegranate & Acai, and the Body Lotion in Pink Grapefruit. Sometimes I feel like lotions are body butters from the same brand are a little too similar for there to be a point, but these two products have quite different textures, and I like them both (But I think I like the lotion the most!).
The body butter is obviously a thicker, creamier product, and it contains cocoa and shea butters to deeply moisturize dry skin. I find this body butter really lovely, its definitely more intense than the lotion, but it still manages to absorb into the skin quickly, with very little left on your skin even a minute later. It leaves skin feeling more soft and supple, and, again, it smells fantastic!
The pomegranate & acai scent comes through in this butter just as well as in the scrub, which is great, since sometimes different formulas can change the way a scent smells on your skin, but these match perfectly, which is great if you want to pair and layer the scents!
While I do love the formula on the body butter, I love the lotion even more! The texture is much thinner (as you can see in a picture below; the body butter is at the top, and the lotion at the bottom), and it absorbs even more quickly!
This lotion contains sunflower oil, jojoba oil, squalane, hyaluronic acid, and aloe, so it's still really moisturizing, despite it's thinner consistency. While the body butter is great for really dry areas or as a nighttime treatment, I think this lotion is great for any time, because it soaks into the skin so quickly and feels so nice.
I also wanted to point out that this bottle's pump twists open and closed easily, so if you want to take this with you on a trip, or need it sealed again for whatever reason, this is way easier than most other body lotion pumps to reclose, which is so super convenient! I know this is a tiny thing that won't matter to most people, but I think it's a great little additional feature. =P
Finally, the grapefruit scent might be my favourite, or at least it's battling for first place with the lavender rosemary scent! It's not a sickly sweet, candy scent... it smells more like fresh, ripe grapefruit: it's sweet, citrus-y, and just a little bitter or sharp, like a grapefruit, and it just smells so clean and fresh! I kind of want to smell like this all the time! I've also tried mixing this with the body butter, and the grapefruit plus the pomegranate acai just smells like the best, most summery fruit salad. So great!
***
So overall, there wasn't anything about these products that I disliked, and I would definitely recommend them! I think they would work well for most people and most skin-types. I suppose if your skin is really sensitive to scented products, maybe this wouldn't work great for you, but I had no problems with any of the scents. I think the scrubs are both not too harsh for dry or sensitive skin, and quite hydrating, while also not being too oily for people with oily skin!
Like I said, these should now be available for purchase at your local Shoppers Drug Mart for $11.99 each.
Have you ever tried any products from this brand? Let me know your thoughts, or let me know your favourite body scrubs and lotions!
Thanks for reading!
